ZEITRAUM, a private operator of student accommodation and serviced apartments active in Central Europe, has appointed Renata Kusznierska as Head of Poland. Kusznierska brings more than 20 years of experience in real estate, including eight years in the living sector, having previously held management roles at Solida Capital, Yugo, CRM Students, as well as at DTZ, Cushman & Wakefield, Savills and Carrefour Property.
In her new role, Kusznierska oversees ZEITRAUM's Polish portfolio of three student residences and serviced apartments totalling 820 beds in Kraków and Warsaw, with responsibility for operational performance, product standards and assessment of new locations. "We are pleased that Renata Kusznierska has joined the ZEITRAUM team. Poland is our largest market and where we are concentrating growth in the coming years. The scale we are targeting requires strong local leadership," said Zdena Noack, Managing Director of ZEITRAUM.
"What attracted me was the combination of ZEITRAUM's international backing and its established position in Poland: an active portfolio alongside room to grow. My operational experience and knowledge of the PBSA sector are relevant on both sides," said Kusznierska. She added that she evaluates new locations not only on financial metrics but also on how a building will function day to day, noting that this affects service costs and tenant retention.
ZEITRAUM currently manages seven student residences and around 300 serviced apartments across Poland and the Czech Republic, totalling more than 2,000 beds, of which more than 1,200 are in student accommodation. Nearly two thirds of the portfolio is in Poland. The company is analysing expansion opportunities primarily in Warsaw, Wrocław, the Tricity region and Poznań, citing a structural supply gap: Poland's private PBSA sector offers around 17,300 beds for a student population of over 1.32 million, including approximately 108,000 international students.
At the European level, ZEITRAUM, a subsidiary of ZEITGEIST Asset Management, plans to add 1,000 beds within two to three years and reach 5,000 beds within five years. Outside Poland, the company operates four student residences in Prague and serviced apartments in the Czech capital and in Plzeň. It is also set to operate a serviced apartment project of more than 300 units in Bratislava, developed in partnership with Lucron, and is eyeing further expansion into Germany and Switzerland. "Location and access to public transport are criteria on which we do not intend to compromise simply to grow faster. Amenities can be added or changed over time; location cannot," said Noack.
